When I worked at an architectural firm many years ago, there was lots of talk about the master plan--that beginning to end long term plan for any design project.
It's also good for families to have a master plan. Now we know that family life doesn't always go as projected, but a master plan helps you to prepare for what is most important to you, and when life throws you those curve balls you can adjust.
So, in thinking about this, what's on your family's master plan--what matters to you. We're a fairly average family so I'm guessing that the main objectives on our master plan may be similar to many families. Our master list includes the following:
It's also good for families to have a master plan. Now we know that family life doesn't always go as projected, but a master plan helps you to prepare for what is most important to you, and when life throws you those curve balls you can adjust.
So, in thinking about this, what's on your family's master plan--what matters to you. We're a fairly average family so I'm guessing that the main objectives on our master plan may be similar to many families. Our master list includes the following:
- Good times
- Professional/Educational Development - Learning
- Contribution
- A Welcoming Home
So as I think of this and I think of our master plan, what's important:
- Less things, more time--at this stage, we don't need a lot of things, but what we really enjoy is time to do what we enjoy doing including reading, writing, watching movies, spending time in beautiful places, and family get togethers.
- A good education for our children--we still have one child who plans to attend college and we want to support that.
- Travel-we love the adventure of seeing new places together.
- Parties and get-togethers--making time to celebrate the milestones, holidays, and good times as a small and extended family.
- Simple meals, clothing, spaces--not a lot of complexity.
What stands tall on this list is the welcoming home. After supporting a couple of college tuitions over the past eight years, we've got some catch-up to do to keep our home welcoming and prepare that home for family changes and growth so it remains welcoming. We'll start with a big purge and yard clean-up, then we'll paint, replace a few outdated items and make some repairs. We'll do most of the work ourselves.
What's on your master plan? What process do you use to create that plan? Why does this matter?
It's amazing what a family can achieve if they work together to achieve goals great and small. I believe it's worth the time to sit down and think about this as you look ahead.